Paper 2 Section A Question 2: Summarise and Synthesise
Paper 2, Section A, Question 2 is worth 8 marks and requires you to summarise and synthesise information from both sources in a single response. This means you need to pull out the key points from each text and show how they connect or contrast with each other.
The example response demonstrates how to compare and contrast emotional responses across two sources. In Source A, the writer expresses anger and frustration about family dinner time, describing 'full-on-fights' and shouting that create stress for everyone. The use of 'happy' in a sarcastic tone shows there's no genuine positivity around mealtimes.
Source B presents a completely different approach - the writer must suppress her emotions to avoid embarrassing herself in front of guests. Unlike Source A's open conflict, this writer forces herself to show 'no kind of agitation' and maintains 'light and cheerful subjects of conversation' despite feeling stressed and anxious.
Top Tip: Look for contrasting approaches to similar situations - here both writers experience dinner-related stress, but one expresses it openly whilst the other conceals it entirely.